Sewing-machine attachment



Nov. 13, 1951 H. H. RUSSELL SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENT Filed Dec. 15, 1949 I 3nnentor I Patented Nov. 13, 1951 SEWING-MACHINE ATTACHMENT Herbert H. Russell, New Haven, Conn, assignor to The Greist Manufacturing Company, New Haven, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Application December 15, 1949, Serial No. 133,059

'1 Claims.

This invention relates to a sewing-machine attachment and more particularly to an attachment designed to be attached to the usual household sewing machine in order to make a rufiie 'or gather in the material fed to the machine.

It is more or less usual in devices of this character to provide a frame adapted to be attached to the presser bar of the sewing machine. upon removal of the usual presser foot, and upon this frame is pivoted a pendulum lever connected at its lower end to the reciprocable ruffling blade, the lever in turn being operated by The present attachment is generally similar to certain prior attachments in the above respects,

but differs therefrom in that novel mechanism is provided for adjusting or varying the width of the gathers or ruffies. In the present device the pendulum lever is provided with a shoulder to be engaged by a pawl carried by the fork arm so that the lever is actuated in one direction by the engagement of the pawl with this shoulder. The

lever is also actuated by the fork arm in the other direction by the engagement of 9. lug on the fork arm with a cam-shaped member adjustably mounted on the pendulum lever so that by adjustment of this member the throw of the ruffling blade may be varied.

In the present instance, a toothed member or ratchet is secured to this cam member to rotate therewith and a spring detent or pawl is provided on the pendulum lever to cooperate with cam in adjusted positions. Thus, a very fine adjustment may be made so as to adjust the width of the gathers or ruffles to the exact width desired, and also the adjustment can be made easily and conveniently without having to release or tighten any clamping means to secure the cam in a new position. v

One object of the present invention is to provide a sewing-machine rufiler of simple and improved construction.

Another object of the inventionis to provide a sewing-machine ruflier attachment having new and improved means for adjusting the width of the rufiie or gather.

the teeth of the ratchet to releasably hold the I A further object of the invention is to provide a sewing-machine ruifier attachment which is adjustable for various types of work and so constructed that the adjustment may be performed quickly and easily by an untrained operator merely by a rotation of the adjusting button.

To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of a miller attachment embodying my improvements;

Fig. 2 is a similar view taken from the other side of the attachment;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the adjusting cam in a diiferent position;

Fig. 4 is a detailed elevational view of the pendulum lever and adjusting cam;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view showing the reverse side of the parts shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 66 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. '7 is a top plan view of the adjustable pawl carrier.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, I have shown in the drawings a sewing-machine rufiier attachment comprising a frame I0 having a toe portion H to which is secured an adapter l2, by means of which the device may be attached to the presser bar of the sewing machine in the usual manner. Pivoted to the frame at M is a pendulum lever l5 which extends downwardly from its pivot point and, at its lower end, is pivoted to a rufliing blade carrier l6.

Also pivoted to the frame at M is the fork arm l8 provided with a forked front end I!) which may be secured to the needle bar so to be oscillated about its pivot point by the reciprocation of the needle bar. At the rear end of the fork arm is an upwardly-projecting finger 20 adapted to be received in one of a plurality of openings 2| provided in a pawl carrier 22 pivoted to the 'finger 20. I

- Upon the pawl carrier is provided a depending by turning the button 36.

pawl member 25 adapted to engage a shoulder 26 upon the upper end of the pendulum lever l above the pivot [4 so as to actuate this lever and move the ruffling blade forwardly as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 upon an upward stroke of the needle bar. The above construction is more or less usual .in devices of this kind andthe operation of these parts will be understood without further description.

In order to move the rufiiing blade rearwardly after a forward operative movement thereof, the fork arm i8 is provided with a lug or-"kicker 30 which is adapted to engage a part of the edge of a cam member 3| rotatably.- or pivotallyl mount,- ed on the pendulum lever l5 by meansof the pivot pin 32. The member 3| is provided with a curved portion 33 eccentric to the pivot 32, and is also provided with a relatively abrupt projection (it at one end'of the eccentric portion 3.3.

.lt will be apparent from the drawings that the lug 35 is adapted to engage the parts .33 and ofithe cam 3i when the fork arm. is moved downwardly and thus return the pendulum lever with the projection .35 and hence will move the rufiling blade rearwardly to the limit of its stroke, thus making a wide rufiie or gather: If, however, the cam member 31 is turned in a counter-clockwise direction, the lug 39 will then attack the edge portion 33. of the cam member 3i and a shorter return stroke of the pendulum lever and ruflling blade will be effected. The radiusef the edge portion. 33 of the cam member gradually decreases in a direction away from the projection 35 so that the shortest stroke of the lever i5 is effected when the parts are substantially in the position shown in Fig. 3. By a slight additional rotation of the cam member 31 in a counter-clockwise direction, the lug 33 will notcontact the edge 33 of the cam mem ber at all during a normal stroke of the needle 'bar, and, in that position of the parts, plain that av very fine adjustment of the width of the rufiies may be obtained, provided that the cam member may be set and held in position to cause the lug se to attack any desired point on the edge 33 of the cam member 3|. For this. purpose an adjusting button 36 (Fig. 6) is provided upon the pivot pin 32 of the cam member so that this cam member may be readily rotated Also secured to the pivot pin 32 is a segment member or ratchet 33' having upon its edge, as shown in Fig. 5, a plurality of fine teeth 38.

y A pawl in the form of a spring member 39 is secured at one end to the pendulum lever l5, as shown at llhthis spring member being curved to generally follow the outline of the edge of the segment member 3! and having a detent 4'! at its free end to enter a selected one of the teeth or notches 38. With this construction, it

will be apparent that the segment member or I ratchet 3? may be easily turned to the desired position by means of the button 36, and that the detent 6| will engage in a selected notch of the toothed portion 38 of the ratchet and position. It will be understood that the detent is so formed that the ratchet may be turned in either direction and the detent will be cammed out of the notch in which it is engaged. It will, of course, enter successive notches as the ratchet member is rotated and act as a click to inform the user as to the adjustment which is being made.

The pendulum lever I5 is provided with an arcuate slot 22, the radius of which is described about the pivot 32, and the cam member 3| is provided with a pin 43 designed to enter this slot so as to limit the rotational movement of the cam member. As illustrated, the length of this slot is such that the range of movement ofthe cam member will be substantially that of the arc of the edge of the segment or ratchet member 31-, sothat the detent 4| will never lie beyond the teeth 38.

It will be obvious that, with this arrangement, very fine adjustments of the cam 33 may be made. and when the cam is moved to any desired position, it will be automatically but releasabl retained in this position by engagement of the detent ltwith the ratchet teeth '58, and that the loosening and tightening of any screws or clamping members is unnecessary in order to. release the cam member for adjustment or to secure it in an adjusted position.

7 While I have. shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understocdthat it is not to be limited to all of the details shown, but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention and within the scopeof the claims.

What I claim is:

l. A ruffler. attachment for sewing machines comprising a frame, a pendulum lever pivoted at its. upper end to the frame, a rufiling blade connected to said lever, a fork arm pivoted. to the frame having means for connection to the needle bar of the sewing machine and means for actuating said lever, a cam member engaged by said actuating means and having a pivot pin rotatably mounted in said lever, means on the pivot oin by whichsaid cam member may be rotated, and spring detent means for holding said cam member in rotatably adjusted position. 7 2. A ruffierattachement for sewing machines comprising a frame, a pendulum lever pivoted at its upper end to the frame, a ruffling blade connected to said lever, a fork arm pivoted. to the frame having means for connection tothe needle bar of the sewing machine and means for actuating said lever, a cam member. engaged by said actuating means and having a pivot pin rotatably mounted in said lever, a turnbutton secured to said pivot pin to rotate the same, and spring. detent means for holding said cam member in. rotatably adjusted position.

3.,A ruifler attachment. for sewing machines comprising a frame, a pendulum lever pivoted at its. upper end to the frame, arufiling blade connected. to said.lever,.a fork arm pivoted tothe frame having means for connection to the needle bar of thesewing machine and means for actuating said lever, a cam member rotatably mounted on said lever, means for rotating said member, a ratchet member secured to the cam member, and a detent carried by the lever and engaging said ratchet member.

4. A rufi'ler attachment for sewing machines comprising a frame, a pendulum lever pivoted at itsupper end to the frame, a ruiiiing blade connected to said lever, a fork arm pivoted to the frame having means for connection to the needle bar of the sewing machine and means for actuating said lever, a cam member rotatably mounted on said lever, means for rotating said member, a ratchet member secured to the cam member, and means engaging said ratchet member to hold the cam member in adjusted position.

5. A ruflier attachment for sewing machines 7 comprising a frame, a pendulum lever pivoted at its upper end to the frame, a rufiling blade connected to said lever, a fork arm pivoted to the frame having means for connection to the needle bar of the sewing machine and means for actuating said lever, a cam member rotatably mounted on said lever, means for rotating said member, a ratchet member secured to the cam member and having teeth on an edge portion thereof, and a spring-pressed detent mounted on the lever to engage said teeth and releasably hold said cam member in adjusted position.

6. A rufller attachment for sewing machines comprising a frame, a pendulum lever pivoted at its upper end to the frame, a ruflling blade connected to said lever, a fork arm pivoted to the frame having means for connection to the needle bar of the sewing machine and means for actuating said lever, a pivot pin rotatably mounted in said lever, a cam member secured to the pivot pin and adapted to be engaged by a part of the fork arm, a member on said pivot pin having a toothed edge portion, and a springpressed detent carried by the lever and engaging the toothed portion of said member to releasably hold the same against rotation.

7. A rufiler attachment for sewing machines comprising a frame, a pendulum lever pivoted at its upper end to the frame, a rufiiing blade connected to said lever, a fork arm pivoted to the frame having means for connection to the needle bar of the sewing machine and means for actuating said lever, a pivot pin rotatably mounted in said lever, a cam member secured to the pivot pin and adapted to be engaged by a part of the fork arm, a member on said pivot pin having a toothed edge portion, and a spring member secured at one end to said lever and provided at its other end with a detent engaging the teeth of said member to releasably hold said cam against rotation.

HERBERT H. RUSSELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 274,077 Yentzer Mar. 13, 1883 413,096 Seitz Oct. 15, 1889 

